One known wireless radio network system that may be mounted at the top of the tower comprises a remote radio unit (RRU) and a separate antenna. These components are mounted in separate locations and are then cabled together using jumper cables to pass the radio frequency (RF) signal between them. Such an installation, when done on site, may involve complex and time consuming installations, and may introduce opportunities for installation errors. For example, current installations typically require multiple jumper cables and multiple mounting kits/hardware. This involves substantial installation time (approximately 12-15 hours per site). In addition, doing this installation at the site outdoors in variable temperature and humidity conditions can adversely affect interconnect quality and overall system performance.
Typically, it is up to the installation team to determine a mounting method. For example, once the antenna and RRU are mounted at the tower top, it is up to the installer to cable and connect the components together correctly. The installer will need a schematic or wiring diagram to understand how such connections should be made. This introduces the possibility of installing cables at the wrong locations, installing cables of incorrect lengths, improperly assembling connectors to the jumper cables, not engaging them correctly, or other installation errors.
One approach involves the use of a pre-assembled cell site sector. This approach, illustrated in FIG. 1 and described in detail in WO 2015/095779 (incorporated herein by reference in its, entirety), employs two parallel vertical members 12, 14 that are spanned by RRU mounting sites 16 on which RRUs 32 are mounted. The vertical member 12 provides a site for mounting of an antenna 34, and the other vertical member 14 can be mounted to the leg of an antenna tower or the like. The ability to assemble the entire site remotely, confirm that the connections have been made correctly and test their performance, then mount it in place on an antenna tower, can provide significant time savings for installation.